From the CEO
As an academic medical center in an era of significant change, we face turbulence and headwinds due to substantial reductions in federal funding. Yet Wake Forest Baptist is uniquely positioned not just to navigate turbulent waters but actually to harness the energy of a fluid health care environment.

We will never be in a “woe is me” situation. We can develop new strategies, prove their effectiveness and export them to other institutions. Exporting knowledge is one of the responsibilities and joys of working at an academic medical center, and we think Wake Forest Baptist can be a real leader in health care innovation.

In research, we can’t be all things to all people. But we can develop world-class, preeminent programs in very focused areas that represent our existing strengths and real societal needs, to support our mission to improve health.

We will not ask those who support us philanthropically to fill financial gaps that we may face. Management must restructure the organization, prepare for the future and ensure that we are a successful enterprise. That’s our job.

We need philanthropy to invest in those programs that will distinguish us as a Medical Center. We will differentiate ourselves through our leading research, patient care and education programs. Philanthropy is the fuel for that engine—for distinction and growth, not for maintenance.

That is the wonderful difference that you all make as donors and friends of our Medical Center, and I thank you.

John D. McConnell, MD
Chief Executive Officer
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center